Ceiling Panel with Enhanced Acoustics and Texture

ABSTRACT

A ceiling tile and a method of manufacture, wherein the ceiling tile has contrasting colors of texturized woven yarn and a coating, respectively, wherein individual colors of the yarn and coating are at different depths of surface texture, wherein color contrasts accentuate the surface texture depths to be viewed, and provide a desirable, unpredictable randomness of pattern of the color contrasts.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/786,617, Filed May 25, 2010 (attorney docket D0932-00910), whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/223,779, Filed Jul. 8, 2009 (attorney docket D0932-00858).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a ceiling tile having a desired soundabsorption and surface texture.

BACKGROUND

U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,994 discloses an interior ceiling structuretypically includes a system of sound absorbing and heat insulatingceiling tiles or panels installed on a metal grid. The grid is suspendedbelow a structural ceiling of a room to create a plenum, or air space,between the rear sides of the tiles and the ceiling. The front sides ofthe tiles are viewed from below as a dropped ceiling of the room.Ceiling panels with desirable acoustic characteristics have a core oflight weight material for sound absorption and structural rigidity,layered on front and rear sides by material coatings or coverings, allof which provide sound-absorbing properties. Another desirable attributeof ceiling tiles is to provide a consistent surface finish andappearance.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,441 discloses a fabric for ceiling tiles having afabric layer of textured glass woven yarn with a white pigmented resin,and a flame resistant polymeric fluorocarbon face coating applied to afirst side of said fabric layer; and a flame resistant opaque acrylicresin applied to a second side of said fabric layer.

Typically, a front side of the ceiling tile is laminated to a fiberglass cloth in which glass fibers are white in color, as produced from awhite colored molten glass composition. Prior to the invention, thefiber glass cloth was constructed of a veil of nonwoven slender fibersbonded together to provide a smooth surface cloth with a random patternof micro sized pores through the cloth. The white color fibers matched asurface paint color, which when painted with white paint provided awhite smooth surface on the finished tile when viewed, especially whenviewed as a dropped ceiling. The smooth surface was populated with apattern of micro sized pores. The pores extended through the veil andextended further through the paint covering the veil, which provided atextured pattern due solely to the micro sized pores through the smoothsurface on the finished tile. A drawback of the finished tile was thatthe smooth surface was easily discolored by attracted dust, and agingpaint showed fading and discoloration over time. Further, slight warpingand misalignment of different tiles were readily observable asinterruptions of the otherwise smooth surface.

Prior to the invention, ceiling tiles that have a high NRC above 0.80, alight reflectance (LR) of the surface of the ceiling tile, do not havetexture. They are simple 2-dimensional finishes (with a plain flatfinish or a fissured appearance due to pores through the flat finish. Adesired ceiling tile would have a high NRC above 0.80 with a texturedfinish, and preferably a textured finish accentuated with contrastingcolors and individual colors at different depths of surface texture.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,189,794 discloses a cloth being made to resist formationof pills.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a ceiling tile with a surface texture providinga combination of a high sound absorption and a rough appearance. Theceiling tile has contrasting colors and individual colors at differentdepths of surface texture.

An embodiment of the invention has a finish that is estheticallypleasing and has a combination of a very high sound absorption rating(i.e.) NRC of above 0.80 and a rough surface texture having contrastingcolors and individual colors at different depths of surface texture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of examplewith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a ceiling tile.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section of the ceiling tile disclosed by FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of three depths of surface texture of theceiling tile disclosed by FIGS. 1 and 2, further disclosing contrastingcolors and individual colors at different depths of surface texture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In FIG. 1 each ceiling tile 10 comprises a core 12 defining a front side14 and a rear side 16, and front and rear layers of cloth 18, 20directly adhered to and covering the front and rear sides 14, 16,respectively. By front side 14 is meant a major surface that is exposedupon being installed to face a room to be viewed as a dropped ceiling. Arear side 16 is a major surface which faces away from the room below andcan face toward a plenum defined above the installed system of ceilingtiles.

The core 12 is a structurally self-standing material structure betweenthe front and the rear layers 18, 20. Examples of preferred corestructures includes folded or pleated non-woven glass mats, porousand/or fibrous sheet materials woven or non-woven (e.g. polymer fibersand natural fibers), porous materials of resilient or rigid materialssuch as slag, aluminum, polymer foams, or an array or skeletal frame, ofrigid or resilient elements restricting air movement or air behavior todampen air transmitted sound.

In FIG. 2, a preferred embodiment of the core 12 includes a yellow coloror alternatively, a color other than yellow, fiber glass board of manylayers of glass fibers. A 1 inch thick core 12 having glass fibers couldbe as short as ½″ to as long as 4 or 5″. The fibers are held by a binderwhich is a phenol formaldehyde based binder. The binder content is inthe range of 10-15%.

A rigid, light weight insulation board provides a core of the ceilingtile. In a preferred embodiment of the core, multiple layers of randomlyoriented filaments of fiber glass are accumulated and are bound togetherby a cured binder composition. Examples of preferred core structuresincludes folded or pleated non-woven glass mats, porous and/or fibroussheet materials woven or non-woven (e.g. polymer fibers and naturalfibers), open cell porous materials of resilient or rigid materials suchas slag, aluminum, polymer foams, or an array or skeletal frame, ofrigid or resilient elements creating an air space between the front andrear layers.

According to manufacture of the core, the filaments are formed bydrawing molten glass through filament-forming orifices. The bindercomposition is dispersed among newly formed filaments as they fall andaccumulate onto a porous belt conveyor. Alternatively, the bindercomposition is dispersed among the filaments after the filaments are onthe conveyor. The conveyor transports binder coated filaments to asource of heat, which applies heat to the binder coated filaments tocure the dispersed binder composition.

A binder composition includes a thermosetting polymer resin dispersed ordissolved in a fluent carrier to form a water based emulsion or asolvent based solution. The binder composition can include otherchemical substances, such as, a fire retardant, a fungicide or biocide,coloring matter, or other substance in a mixture with the binder. Theresulting binder composition is in the form of a dry mixture, adispersible mixture or soluble mixture. U.S. Pat. No. 7,241,487discloses a formaldehyde free binder resin to replace a UF binder resin,a urea formaldehyde or resin, which is inherently hydrophobic especiallydue to a high rate of curing,

The binder composition is heat cured to provide a cured resinousthermoset binder, which binds the filaments together in the rigid, lightweight insulation board. For example, the binder composition is acurable urea formaldehyde resin or formaldehyde free resins beingdeveloped in the interest of reducing volatile organic compoundemissions, VOC emissions.

In FIG. 2, a rear side 16 of the core 12 is laminated to a glass fibercloth 20 using an adhesive. The cloth 20 can have fibers other thanglass fibers, such as, polymer fibers. An embodiment of the cloth 20 hasa construction as follows:

Technical Data Sheet

-   Fiber Composition—Fiber-Glass-   Calculated Weight (lbs/100 sq ft) Basis Weight (lbs/100 sq ft)-   Target—0.95 (46 grams/sq. m) Target—0.95-   1.05 Maximum (51 gms/sq. m) 1.10 Maximum-   0.80 Minimum (41 gms/sq. m) 0.80 Minimum-   Resin Content-   Target—16.0%-   19.0% Maximum-   13.0% Minimum-   Tensile (lbs/3″) Tensile Ratio-   MD—85 Target (machine direction)-   Target: 2.5-   CD—34 Target 3.3 Maximum—1.7 Minimum (cross direction).

In FIG. 2, the front side 14 of the core 12 is disclosed to which a greycolor, woven texturized cloth 18 is laminated using an adhesive. Theadhesive used is an LAW 1913 VETAK adhesive from a supplier, HenkelAdhesive Technologies, Industrial Business, Elgin Ill., USA. Theapplication rate for adhesive with the grey fabric is 3 g/ft²-6 g/ft².For testing adherence, a 3″ strip is pulled with a force gauge to testfor 1.25 lbs. minimum average.

An embodiment of the ceiling tile 10 has a front side 14 of the core 12that is laminated to a textured woven fiber glass cloth 18. The cloth 18has the following construction.

Warp Construction 18 threads/inch Fill Construction 16 threads/inch WarpTensile, pounds min. 70 Fill Tensile, pounds min. 50 Ounces/yd A2   7.3LOI percent 11.8 (loss on ignition)

The cloth 18 is flame retardant, possesses a flame time of 2 seconds orless, and possesses a char length of less than 5.5 inches, and isflexible and can be laid flat, and has substantial dimensional stabilityand strength. the cloth 18 is commercially available as part number: BGFs/1963/48.3/A495 commercially available from a supplier, BGF Industries,Inc. of Porcher Industries.

Further, as depicted in FIG. 3, the cloth 18 weft is constructed of fillyarns 30 of textured glass yarns 30. The fill yarns 30 havemulti-filament strands that are texturized to provide bulk due tostrands that are deformed outward from the axis of the yarn 30, some ofwhich have broken ends that project outward from the yarn axis.Texturizing is produced, for example, by an air jet process disclosed byUS20050009428 A1, to Porter et al. to increase the bulk of the yarn 30without increasing its mass.

In addition to increasing the bulk of a yarn 30, the glass yarns 30 aretexturized to provide a speckled variegation of fibrous fluffy surfaceareas 32 on the yarns 30 projecting at a surface height above a speckledvariegation of smoother surface areas 34 on essentially non-texturizedcores of the yarns 30 at surface heights below the surface height of thefluffy surface areas 32. Further the texturized woven glass yarns 30 aretexturized to provide a speckled variegation of nubs 36 or fabric pillshaving a small mass of fibers projecting at a surface height above thatof the speckled variegation of fibrous fluffy surface areas 32. Thesurface texture topography of the cloth 18 has at least three visiblesurface depths of surface texture, wherein the projecting nubs 36provide a first surface texture depth, the fluffy surface areas 32provide a second surface texture depth and the smoother non-fluffedsurface areas 34 on the yarns 30 provide a third surface texture depth.Different depths of surface texture topography are not limited to thethree disclosed by FIG. 3. Further, the speckled variegations of thenubs 36, fluffy surface areas 34 and non-fluffy surface areas 32 denselypopulate the surface of the cloth 18 and are of random mixeddistribution to avoid an appearance of distinctive areas or spots and toavoid a predictable visual pattern of the speckled variegations. Thethree depths of surface texture are set or preserved by spraying thetexturized yarns with a thermoset or thermoplastic resinous binder tohold the yarn filaments in place. As an addition to the three depths ofsurface texture, the cloth 18 has a variegated distribution of smallpores 37, FIG. 1, that are barely visible, but exist as spaces betweenadjacent fibers of the cloth 18 for air to penetrate through the clothand become dispersed among the fibers of the core 12 of the ceiling tile10 for sound dampening. A grey color of the texturized yarns 30 isprovided by a grey color, molten glass composition from which the yarns30 are made, such that the grey color permeates entirely throughout theglass yarns 30.

Then, in FIG. 3, a coating 38 of contrasting color, a white color spraycoating 38 is applied to the textured woven cloth 18 using a spray gunto achieve the desired textured, rough surface texture and visualsurface depth accentuated by a grey-white contrast in which theindividual colors, grey and white, are located at different depths ofsurface texture. A splatter spray gun, a rotary motion spray gun,involves a rotary spray that sprays a consistent amount of paint, andthe splatter effect or speckled effect is achieved by a combination ofthe rotary movement of the spray gun used, the speed of the line (forexample, 40 ft/min), and the viscosity of the paint and its physicalproperties relevant to spray application. Further, the taller heights ofthe surface topography provide barriers to shield distribution of thecoating 38 being sprayed by the spray gun onto other areas of thesurface topography that free of the coating 38 and are visible in thegrey contrasting color. The spray gun used is from supplier, ITWIndustrial Finishing, 195 Internationale Blvd. Glendale Heights, Ill.60139 and comprises a Binks® 95 with a #68 needle/nozzlecombination—this with the rotary spray movement or displacement, linearproduction line speed of the cloth 18, and the viscosity of the coating38 creates the splatter effect. Then the core 12 and cloth 20 and cloth18 go through a processing step wherein the adhesive and coating 38 areoven-heated and cured and dried, respectively. Preferably, the adhesiveand coating 38 are cured and dried simultaneously by passage through adrying oven.

The coating 38 includes the following paint material. Product 9015Cashmere “F” paint from supplier, hci products

Product Characteristics

-   Gloss—Flat-   Weight Solids—60%±2%-   Volume Solids—38%±2%-   Viscosity—95-100 KU.-   Spreading Rate—602 Sq. Ft˜per gallon@ 1 dry mil.-   Specific Gravity—1.56-   Material VOC—0.02 lb./gallon-   Coating VOC—0.05 lb./gallon-   Dry Time at 77° F. at 50% R.H.)-   To Touch—1-2 hours-   To Recoat—30 min

SURFACE PREPARATION: Surfaces must be dry and free from all dust, dirt,oil, or other contaminates. EQUIPMENT: This product is to apply withoutreduction and is water solvent for clean-up. This product is appliedwith conventional spray equipment, air-assisted, and HVLP equipment.Recommended settings 35 g/ft²-40 g/ft². Paint coverage should be evenand without streaking

The purpose of the coating 38 is to provide a speckled paint patternwherein the pattern is randomly speckled and has contrasting colors andcontrasting surface texture depths, which accentuate the cumulativesurface texture depth when viewed. The paint coating 38 substantiallycoats all nubs 36 to provide a white surface on the ceiling tile 10. Thecoating 38 on the nubs 36 further adhere and clump the yarn fibers ofthe nubs 36 into random distorted shapes. Further, the coating 38 has anon-penetrating viscosity to avoid penetration of the coating 38 intoall surface depths of the texturized yarns 30. Such penetration of thecoating 38 is avoided further by the hydrophobic property of the moltenglass composition from which the glass yarns 30 are made. Further, thetaller heights of the surface topography provide barriers to shielddistribution of the coating 38 being sprayed by the spray gun onto otherareas of the surface topography that are shielded from spray applicationof the coating 38 and are visible in the grey contrasting color.Thereby, side surfaces 40 of the nubs 36, FIG. 3, at least some ofwhich, avoid the coating 38 to provide a speckled paint pattern, and toexpose a contrast grey color of the texturized yarns 30, whereincontrasts of the grey color and white color accentuate the surfacetexture depths to be viewed. Further, the differences between coatedsurfaces 42 and uncoated side surfaces 40 of respective nubs 36 providea desirable, unpredictable randomness of pattern of the grey-white colorcontrasts. side surfaces 40 of the nubs 36, FIG. 3, at least some ofwhich, avoid the coating 38 to provide a speckled paint pattern, and toexpose a contrast grey color of the texturized yarns 30, whereincontrasts of the grey color and white color accentuate the surfacetexture depths to be viewed and provide a desirable, unpredictablerandomness of speckled pattern of the grey-white color contrasts.

Further, in FIG. 3, the speckled paint pattern can be resisted by thesmallest fluffy surface areas 32 a that are hydrophobic and avoidcapillary action of the viscous coating 38. Larger fluffy surface areas32 do not avoid capillary action and can be coated by the coating 38.The smallest fluffy areas 38 a expose a contrast grey color, whilelarger fluffy areas 30 are coated white in color, wherein contrasts ofthe grey color and white color of different fluffy areas 32 and 32 aaccentuate the surface texture depths to be viewed, and provide adesirable, unpredictable randomness of pattern of the grey-white colorcontrasts. Further, the differences between coated fluffy areas 38 a anduncoated fluffy areas 38 a provide unpredictable randomness to thegrey-white color contrasts. The ceiling tile 10 has contrasting colorsand individual colors at different depths of surface texture. Similarly,the smallest non-fluffy areas 34 a expose a contrast grey color, whilelarger non-fluffy areas 34 are coated white in color, wherein contrastsof the grey color and white color of different fluffy areas 34 and 34 aaccentuate the surface texture depths to be viewed, and provide adesirable, unpredictable randomness of pattern of the grey-white colorcontrasts. The ceiling tile meets Class A flame spread rating whentested for ASTM E 84 (Tunnel Test) in spite of the textured surface.

The cloth 18 of a preferred embodiment of the invention provides aresult of surface texture variation that is unexpected in itsdimensional surface depth variation and visual accentuation ofgrey-white contrasts. Prior to the invention, texturized yarns wereuniform in appearance to be used as a garment, such as a sweater or knitshirt or the like. Further, fabrics prior to the invention were requiredto be smooth to the touch and to avoid pills in the fabric surface.

The product is then transported to a tenoner, a panel edge processingequipment, wherein the product is cut by an edgebander to a specificsize, typically, a 2′×2′ ceiling tile 10, and each edge is cut toprovide a stepped edge to fit for installation in a system grid of adropped ceiling. The stepped edge in FIG. 1 is also known as a revealedge. Alternatively, the edge can be configured with a square edge, andDG edge detail. The stepped edge is coated with paint to preventunraveling at the edge, and the paint is cured and dried in an oven. Theceiling tile 10 is fully encapsulated with the fiber glass core 12 fullyencapsulated on the face 14, the back 16 and on each edge.

This description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read inconnection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be consideredpart of the entire written description. In the description, relativeterms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,”, “above,”“below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof(e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should beconstrued to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown inthe drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenienceof description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed oroperated in a particular orientation. Terms concerning attachments,coupling and the like, such as “connected” and “interconnected,” referto a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to oneanother either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, aswell as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unlessexpressly described otherwise.

Patents and patent applications referred to herein are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties. Although the inventionhas been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is not limitedthereto. Rather, the appended claims should be construed broadly, toinclude other variants and embodiments of the invention, which may bemade by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope andrange of equivalents of the invention.

1. A method of making a ceiling tile, comprising: laminating a cloth toa core of sound absorbing glass fibers, wherein the cloth has texturizedwoven yarn having speckled variegations of nubs, fluffy surface areasand non-fluffy surface areas densely populate the surface of the clothand are of random mixed distribution to avoid an appearance ofdistinctive areas or spots and to avoid a predictable visual pattern ofthe speckled variegations; and applying a coating of contrasting coloronto the cloth, wherein some areas of the cloth expose a contrast color,while other areas of the cloth are coated with a contrast color, whereincolor contrasts of different cloth areas accentuate the surface texturedepths to be viewed, and provide a desirable, unpredictable randomnessof pattern of the color contrasts.
 2. A method of making a ceiling tile,comprising: covering a core of sound absorbing fibers with yarn, theyarn providing a surface topography; and applying a coating ofcontrasting color, compared to a yarn color, on randomly distributedrelatively taller portions of the surface topography, while some of therelatively taller portions have some of their side surfaces uncovered bythe coating to expose the yarn color, and applying the coating onrandomly distributed relatively large fluffy surface areas of the yarnat relatively lower depths of the surface topography, while randomlydistributed relatively small fluffy surface areas of the yarn areuncoated by the coating to expose the yarn color, and relatively smallsmoother areas of the yarn at relatively lower depths of the surfacetopography are randomly distributed and are uncoated by the coating toexpose the yarn color, which provides a random distribution of the yarncolor at different depths and a random distribution of the contrastingcolor at different depths.
 3. The method of claim 2, comprising:providing the core with stepped edges.
 4. The method of claim 2,comprising: providing the core with squared edges.
 5. The method ofclaim 2, comprising: covering the core with a cloth including said yarn,said yarn comprising texturized fill yarns of the cloth.
 6. The methodof claim 2, comprising: covering the core with a cloth including saidyarn, wherein the relatively taller portions, the fluffy portions andthe relatively smooth surface portions of said yarn are at differentsurface depths of the surface topography.
 7. The method of claim 2,comprising: applying the coating on relatively large smoother areas ofthe yarn at relatively lower depths of the surface topography.
 8. Themethod of claim 2, comprising: avoiding penetration of the coating intoall surface depths of the surface topography by providing the coatingwith a non-penetrating viscosity.
 9. The method of claim 2, comprising:avoiding penetration of the coating into all surface depths of thesurface topography by providing said yarn as hydrophobic to the coating.10. The method of claim 2, comprising: covering the core with a clothincluding said yarn, and further including a distribution of small poresin the cloth for air to penetrate for sound dampening.